Kotaku has an article about DOOM 4 development being "off track," reporting "multiple sources" say the shooter sequel is not close to complete after five years of development that included a reboot, and describing rising tensions between developer id Software and parent Zenimax. The reboot occurred in late 2011, and is the one part of the story that has an on-the-record comment, as Pete Hines of Bethesda Softworks (also a Zenimax company) confirmed this for them. "An earlier version of Doom 4 did not exhibit the quality and excitement that Id and Bethesda intend to deliver and that Doom fans worldwide expect," Hines said in a statement for the site. "As a result, Id refocused its efforts on a new version of Doom 4 that promises to meet the very high expectations everyone has for this game and this franchise. When we’re ready to talk about the Doom 4 Id is making, we will let folks know." The article offers dire, though unconfirmed anecdotes from their sources, describing attempts at a more cinematic game derided as "Call of Doom," power struggles merging the RAGE team into the project, and organizational issues leading to an exodus of talent from the developer. Word is the game is not very close to complete, and is now planned for the next generation of consoles, and that Zenimax is putting a lot of pressure on id, with the threat of closure or becoming an engine developer if DOOM 4 fails to meet expectations, which are apparently quite lofty, as apparently id was told by Zenimax executives that the game could and should be as big as Skyrim.

I will never understand why these game developers sell themselves to big publishers.

There was no reason to ever make doom 4. They should have done what they mentioned a few times. revisit the world of the original quake.

Off topic...

but i don't see how any game developers are going to survive the next generation war. Who can afford the development cost of all the insane expectations people expect from games art assets and cinematic atmosphere. It seems to me like the industry is about to eat itself out of existence.

Being sold to Zenimax is the only reason id isn't bankrupt and defunct right now. Zenimax has every right to be demanding, they are footing ids bills and id isn't producing.

siapnar wrote on Apr 3, 2013, 21:21:Is umm, any game as big as Skyrim?

Isn't it still in the Steam top 10?

DOOM 4 will attract half the sales, if that.

Heh, I like your disregard all comments made above line sig.

My guess is Kotaku simply came up with an article people want to hear and base it on "multiple sources" just to sound credible so they can get more hits/clicks. They're like the TmZ of games now with these gossip stories.

What's this blasphemy! We don't need gameplay, just a craptacular inefficient mega-texture to make everything super blurry up-close and insanely large while at the same time totally messing up everything that a FPS should do and has been doing the past 10 years! Dah ID gods have spoken, we only needeth megatexture! Bow before them and give unto them your firstplayed game in exchange for a 30gb game that's only 6 hours long.

I will never understand why these game developers sell themselves to big publishers.

There was no reason to ever make doom 4. They should have done what they mentioned a few times. revisit the world of the original quake.

Off topic...

but i don't see how any game developers are going to survive the next generation war. Who can afford the development cost of all the insane expectations people expect from games art assets and cinematic atmosphere. It seems to me like the industry is about to eat itself out of existence.

If it comes out with an amazing MP game as part of it (you know, the on-line side that is a must for the sake of DRM) it 'could' sell big Skyrim like numbers ..... But it would have to be as amazing as Quakeworld was when that came out and even then it's been quite some time since they where the pimp of the FPS market. Don't know if they still got the bitches?

I want to believe this is bullsh*t but there have been only whispers, and absolutely nothing else, of this game through various channels for so long that it sounds believable. That is, Doom 4's progress sucking sounds believable. It has been so long that it is reaching Vaporware status for me. For Zenimax to be so delusional to think that Doom 4 could reach Skyrim level, that is a tough pill to swallow.

Doom 3 was competent, but not stellar. I bought new hardware to play it when it came out, and played it but never finish (not damning in and of itself, as I usually don't finish games, including awesome ones like Half-Life (quit at Xen) and Oblivion (twice)). Rage I bought I haven't played yet.

Still, I think the comparison is a poor one, Doom 4 and Skyrim. They need to temper their expectations. Bethesda is a developer on the top of their game making the best games in their genre, and have been ascendant for a decade. Id has stagnated for the past decade and released some solid, but underwhelming games. The best game in the past decade to come out of an id IP was Quake Wars, and id didn't even develop that.

Given that Doom has always been "run through the maze and shoot stuff" I think that a Call of Doom style game is probably the right call. The question is, will they be able to sell enough to justify the cost? I highly doubt it.

The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.That is easy.All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.It works the same way in any country.